The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-08-02
ATFRRIFIC STORM.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. HEAVY RAIN

UNPRECEDENrEDLY HEAVY RAIN
Pals ia this City and Vicinity Yesterday.
Cellars Flooded and Much Valuable 4
Goods badly Dnn,hged-Tlo Streets
Covered with Sand aud Debris.
Yesterday afternoon shortly before 8
o'clocka pretty lively rain fell in this city
and to the north and east. After the rain
had fallen Ave or ten minutes It increased
TO what was almost. universally pro.
nounced the heaviest rainfall ever wit.
nesaed here. Careful observers es.imated
the fal! Of water about 2 inches in three.
quarters Of an hour. There were several
vivid flashes Of lightning and deaisning
pep!s Of thunder, but so far as could bs
learned no object was struck. 4
The rain seemed to increase momen.
tarily until It fairly fell In sheets. II WAS
but few minutes until the main streets
oil the city were converted into rivnlets Of
muddy water, on the surface Of which
debris Of all eorts washed down from tho
hills.
FLOODED STREETS. : I
Twelfth street from Eof to tho wharf
was one sheet Of water. At the interaec.
.ions Of other streets the crossing OF the
torrents sent tho water out On the side
walks In somo places clear To tho houses.
Fourteenth street WIS much the same,
with the worse feature that the sewer al
the corner OF Market became stopped up
end the cellar OF r. J. smyth's grocery
wGa flooded and some damage done. The
Chinese laundry on tho opposite corner
got q slight wetting. On other streets
Running at right angles to the river the
came state Of Gtfairs was gsen, except that
the sleeper ones were worse. Tenth and
Eleventh streets show. hundreds OF cart.
loada OF yellow mud and stones piled up.
It will require several days work to cart
tho deposits OF from ait the catching
places. This work was promptly com.
menced when the storm Bubsided.
! Alter the storm the Thermometer, which
had been OF In the shade, marked but rs.
! One OF the most brilliant rainbows eve,
seen in these skies apanned the Eastern
lsky about'G o'clock. "a
DAMAGE ON THE BLAND. l5jB
The email sewer openings on the Island
a(forded practically no outlet for the wa.
ter, and tho reault was the WORT flood
Isince. 80. Instead Of being converted
into rivers aa were tho ateep streets on
this aide, the level thoroughiares OF the
Garden Spot simply became lakes for the
| time being. Especially was this go at the
intersection Of Zane street and Broadway
The cellar of the building occupied by
| Williams drug store and Lukens' grocery
was quickly filed with water TO depth Of
several feet. Owing to the character oil
Mr.. Lukens' goods stored there his loes
was light. The damsgo to Mr.. Willians
more dsstructibls Btock will reach from
$500 to $500. 5l}
| Mr.. Westley Smith, who livaa on York
assaet and Ia employed ~ MUM q Brand
fass' cigar factory, had in his cellar large
lstock OF tobacco aHd cigars with which he
expected to open In business for himeell
in Pennsylvania shortly. His collar wea
flooded and this stock ruined. His loss
will be at least $500. Other residents suf-
fered heavily, but not 30 severely as those
named. 3
~ A uEEvY LOSER. aS''
The greslest damage done on this eide
OF the rtvar vas that suffered by McLain
Bros, the druggists st. The corner OF Mar.
ket and Twoifth streets. Almost withou.
warning, roaring torrent came pouring
down Twelfth street, and, ieaping over
the curb, rushed up to the building
around the corner Of which il swired in a
foaming, angry way, and finding au out
let into the cellar flooded the place. The
| yellow, sticky liquid was pouring in be.
fore even a small portion OF the large
stock Of goods stored in the cellar could
be moved. There WAS over s., 900 worth
OF goods stored IN them, and Mr.. McLain
roughly estimated that the damage would
amour. to at least $500. 3. 81
SUIT FOR DAMAGES. i5as
Mr.. McLain informed reporter that
tho firm wonld probably institute suit
against the city to recover their loss. He
eaid that few years ago when the city's
engineer established the grade on Market
street. the frn protested against having
the corner ct their place 80 low, forsesing
at thst time on event like that OF ycster-
| day but thst they were laughed at then.
| Now they propose that the laugh ahaii be
on tho other side. ~ AL
| John Sheekey's place, on Twelfth
strest, got enough water In the cellar to
make It disaereeable. +. s.
J The Western Union Office at Twelfth
and Main streets, was partially flooded,
but work was not suspended. 4,
At the corner Of Main and Fourteenth,
MUM & Brsudfass saved large stock oil
| fue tobacco by energetic work, and rub.
Der blanketa stuffed into the cellar graf
ings. McCullough's hardware store, and
THAT Of Frsnzall, at this corner, had mar
row eacapes from being flooded. A.
a BAD LOCALITY. s
| George K. McMechen & Son, Wholesale
dealers in provisions at No. 1927 Main
street, had the water fill their cellar to
the depth Of about two or three feet, dam.
aging canned goods, fruits and provisions
to the extent Of about $780,. Il s5.6 yJ:as
E At the corner of Sixteenth and Main
streets there WAS an awful state OF affairs.
Tho Hempfeld track backs. the water up
Main street at that point Tor nearly q
square, and the large mains recently laid
| by the natural gas companies so block up
the only sewer opening, thatitisalmoBtim.
possible for the water to pass of after a
heavy storm. The people doing business
| thereabouts arc bowling for material
! improvement in the shape Of large sewer,
| The cellar OF Reid's liquor store got
some water in it, but the damage done
was merely nominal. ~ Isl "a 59.I
J.. NJ. Kirk. dealer in farm implements,
got water in his cellar, but fortunately had
no goods stored in it.$AtJ. W. Hunters
. lspics mills, No. 1929 Main, tho water
waa three inches deep on the first aoor ior
nnarlv twanfv feat hanic frntr, ~ - ~.